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Sermo Retakes League Home Run Lead, X’s Beat Saltdogs Again

Lincoln, NE (June 22, 2021) – Sioux City fresh off a sweep of the Lincoln Saltdogs in which they won all three games by a single run margin, kept that trend going on Tuesday as they took the first game of a three game series with a 7-6 victory. 

Jose Sermo retook the league home run lead with two solo home runs to get the Explorers scoring started. He hit solo shots in the first and fourth innings for homers 12 and 13 on the season to tie and then pass Milwaukee’s David Washington for the top spot in the American Association. 

Sermo now has clobbered six home runs and driven in 12 RBI in seven games against the Lincoln Saltdogs in 2021 and has now ten home runs against the Saltdogs in 32 career games with Sioux City. 

Not to miss out on the fun, Lane Milligan smacked his third home run of the season with a man aboard in the fourth, Milligan’s home run gave Sioux City a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning. 

The Explorers then capped off their scoring for the night in the fifth with a two out rally. Sioux City singled and earned back to back walks to load the bases with two gone. Chris Clare singled down the right field line to drive home two. And after another walk to load the bases again, Sebastian Zawada walked to put Sioux City up 7-3. 

The seven runs scored by Sioux City were credited to Carson Lance (1-3) with six of those being earned. Lance took the loss lasting 4.2 innings allowing five hits and five walks while also striking out five. 

The Saltdogs though like the past weekend refused to go away quietly. They scored a run on a two out David Vidal single in the fifth and scored twice in the sixth on a Louis Martini base hit to cut the X’s lead down to a run, 7-6. 

After earning American Association Pitcher of the Week honors, Patrick Ledet (4-0) picked up the win by covering five innings, allowing five runs, four earned on five hits with a couple strikeouts and walks. 

However the Sioux City pen stiffened from there as Nate Gercken worked out of a bases loaded two out jam with a strikeout in the seventh. And Matt Pobereyko earned his league leading 11th save of the year collecting the final four outs of the ballgame. 

Sioux City and Lincoln will continue the series on Wednesday with first pitch set for 7:05 pm from Haymarket Park. Right hander Joe Riley (0-1, 7.32) will take the ball for the Explorers and John Richy (2-2, 6.82) draws the start for Lincoln.